Good Temptations.

Has life ever seemed like a race? If you said "NO", your next move needs to be hitting your knees in confession because life can seem like a race and is even referenced as a race in scripture. Life is a race to be completed strong. We may not win the race in the first place position, but we should all strive to finish strong knowing that we did all that we could to finish at the top. In Hebrews we are encouraged to look around us and see that there is a great crowd of witnesses here to support us and be an encouragement to us (Heb 11). The fellowship of the church is also here for support (Heb 10.25). If this is true, why is it that we may find ourselves feeling alone?

A race is made of many people and "contestant" that are all wanting one thing; finish, if not win. In a good race the other racers will be the support of each other, but what if there is no one around us? If you have ever watched a race that is more that a sprint you see that even though the racers start at the same time they will soon be spread out. Sure, there may be clusters of people here and there but soon even they will be split apart because no one runs at the same speed. There are some times in a marathon that a runner can see no on in front of or behind them even though there are hundreds of other runners, and there is no one standing along the sidelines. Runners testify these are the legs of the race that giving up is the easiest. Without the support of runners or witnesses what is left to help the runner press on?

This same thing happens to us spiritually when we hit times in life that everyone has either passed us, or we have passed everyone; we end up finding ourselves all alone; we forget the great distances we have covered and begin to get tired. We are tempted to just give up.

I Corinthians 10.13 says, "There is no temptation give to you that is not common to man; God is faithful and will not tempt you more that you are able but will with the temptation provide a way of escape so that you will be able to bear it."

Did you ever stop to think about this? We are not facing something alone even if we may be running by ourselves for the moment because people who may be out of sight from us right now are going through the same thing; people who have run this race before you went through the same thing; people who run this race after you will go through the same thing. Every time you see someone take first place in a race they were proving that this leg of the race can be conquered. But how could they ever make it through without the support of the fans and the runners?

"God is faithful". The difficulties are overcome because they stop thinking of the race, which lasts only for a short while, and remembered what is eternal. When marathon runner finishes the race and is interviewed they commonly share what "got them through" the race and it is something that had nothing to do with the race; family, charity, prize money, etc... Something other than the race, the fans, or even the other runners support; it was a bigger something that would be waiting for them after the finish line. For the Christian our race of life is doable because of the fact that God is faithful and will keep his promise that "I go to prepare a place for you..." (John 14.1).

The verse does not stop though with God being faithful, if also gives a promise that "God won't bring you to it unless he is willing to get you through it." There is even a cooler part than that; God will end up using the temptation to quit itself to get you past the temptation! This is a part of the verse that seems puzzling to some. What is that supposed to mean? How could a temptation ever help get you out of itself? The way this is possible is if we look to God and allow his the make us stronger through this experience. No, this does not mean we walk into temptation or invite it into our lives so that we can become strong; temptation will find you easily enough without you having to find it.

Think of the alcoholic who ruins his family. When the alcoholic comes to Christ and repents of alcohol, the visions of his past life's effect on his family will keep him from going back, and he will be an effective witness to other alcoholics because he can relate to them. Thinking again of the race scenario, since you are running at different speeds you will eventually come along side of someone else again, and since your temptation is common, they too have likely had a hard time dealing with it; when you are now come together you can be a great support and encouragement on to another.

There is no race that is completed without running it, but running it can become a great experience, even the lonely/temptation times if we remember that we are not facing it alone, God is faithful.